Vegetarian Convert!

losingbaylee

Hi! I am new to the community and also new to being a vegetarian. I have dabbled in it here and there while in college but boyfriends always pulled me off of it.

That being said, any grocery store suggestions for me? Anything would be appreciated! I'm thinking veggie burgers or any other finds other than the obvious fruits and veggies.

Also any meals that you like to make would be helpful as well! I have Pinterest but hearing actual opinions and suggestions are way more helpful.

lynn_glenmont

Legumes are your friends. Veggie chili, bean soup, bean burritos, beans on salads ...

jmgr9993

I have been a vegetarian for a year now. Even though I eat beans, nuts and etc. I still find I am really short on the protein side of things. I was hoping to Join this group to generate new ideas for increasing my protein intake. Also losingbaylee: Quorn brand is awesome especially if you are looking for a delicious “chicken patty” there is no processed soy in it which is healthier for you. I will be happy to post some of my favorite recipes. I have two young kids who fought me when I changed from meat to veggies and they love some of the recipes I have cooked up 😊 Good luck on your journey!!!

Zinka61

I agree with Lynn, legumes are ideal. Lentils cook up quickly and can be made into soups. My favorite right now is adding chopped, oven- roasted red peppers and eggplants (no oil) and some spinach to lentils and veggie broth. Tempeh is a useful soybean-based product you can use in many ways, adding it to soups and stews. Commercial burgers are fine now and then, but they tend to be high in fat and sodium--Depends on what you're after. The Beyond Burger is tasty and full of protein but very high in fat, and my vegetarian-raised children thought the meatlike flavor was weird. My favorite dinner is a vegan "nicecream" made from frozen banana slices pureed in a small food processor with 5T PB2, 2T cocoa, and 2 T. oatmeal, under 1/2 c. of walnut milk added to process it. Sometimes I add a pea protein based powder, but not usually. My favorite lunch is a big pan of chopped, no-oil roasted Butternut squash, Pink Lady apple, and either chopped (frozen) Brussels sprouts or broccoli florets all mixed together. Sometimes for a quick meal I'll just spread some good hummus on a piece of cooked tempeh, but I'm not sure everyone would love that. I don't tend to do a lot of long, involved recipes. This is the stuff I can make quickly for myself with very little work on my part to eat just everyday. I've been on a whole wheat pita bread kick for breakfast, warmed 1 minute in the microwave, spread with 2 T. fresh ground at the store almond butter and topped with 1/2 Pink Lady apple slices. Amaranth porridge is high in protein and iron and very filling. Quinoa is another high protein seed you can eat like a grain. This is my absolute favorite recipe made with it: https://www.peanutbutterrunner.com/mexican-quinoa/. It's almost 29 years since I went vegetarian, the day after New Year's Day. Experiment lots and enjoy your new diet!

manderson27

I am not vegatarian but I use Quorn to bulk up things like bolognese or stir frys because it is low cal high protein.

vingogly

If you have mold or mushroom allergies, be careful with Quorn - it's made with the vat-grown fungus Fusarium venenatum and some have had bad reactions to it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1769805/

For breakfast sausage and fake bacon, I've tried a number of brands (including Quorn) and the best of the lot in my opinion is Morningside brand. For veggie burgers, Boca is the go-to brand for me. Try a variety of legumes: lentils, garbanzos, black beans, cannelini, etc. all have very different textures and tastes. I've been a big fan of lentils since I was a kid - and there are different varieties of lentils, too: big, small, red, yellow, black.

You can even use legume cooking liquid as an egg white substitute in recipes - see this article:

https://www.thekitchn.com/a-is-for-aquafaba-234581

AnnPT77

I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 44+ years. There's nothing wrong with fake meats or protein bars/powders, but I personally don't mostly find them tasty or satisfying, so almost never eat them. At 5'5", I target 100g minimum protein daily, and usually exceed it. I do eat a good bit of dairy: My Northern European heritage brought me the body chemistry to handle it well, and I enjoy it. I don't eat that many eggs, except when traveling, where they're one of the easier ways to get adequate protein at a reasonable calorie level.

My advice to a new vegetarian would be to lose the meat-eater's orientation to getting all your protein from one big protein item per meal ("What's for dinner?" "Chicken"). Of course it's good to include a major protein source when you can: Beans or other legumes, tempeh, tofu, dairy products if those are still on your menu, seitan, etc.

But also think about getting small amounts of additional protein from most foods you eat (your MFP food diary will be a help in this - look for places where you're getting quite a few calories but little protein, then come up with alternatives you enjoy eating that better help you meet your nutritional goals). There are vegetables with more protein, fruits with more protein, grains with more protein, snacks with more protein, etc., compared to alternative foods.

Also, it's a good plan to vary your protein sources, as many vegetarian sources have an incomplete amino acid profile. By choosing varied sources within and across days, you increase the likelihood of combinations creating a more balanced overall amino acid profile. (You can learn more about essential amino acids and complementary food choices if you'd like to be more scientific about it.)

If you're a strict vegetarian (no dairy or eggs), in the long term you'll want to pay attention to getting sufficient B12, calcium, and iron, among other things.

You might want to check out the thread below to identify protein sources you may not have thought of. It has a spreadsheet linked that lists foods by protein efficiency, most protein for fewest calories. You'll have to scroll past the meaty/fishy stuff near the top, but vegetarian sources are there further down.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

Sometimes people become vegetarian thinking it will cause weight loss, or be healthier. Neither of those are inherently true. Any kind of calorie management can yield weight loss, irrespective of food choices. Many ways of eating can be healthy (or the reverse) depending on how much attention is paid to sound nutrition. You've already discovered (based on the remark about boyfriends) that vegetarianism can be a tiny bit socially inconvenient, too. It can also make good nutrition more difficult when traveling, especially in meat-centric cultures, and doubly so where sharing special foods is a deep form of hospitality and social bonding. None of those are insurmountable obstacles, but they're considerations.

If you don't feel 100% committed to vegetarianism - if it's a preference rather than a commitment - it can be fine to be an omnivore who occasionally but rarely eats meat. If that's going to be the actual practical outcome, it would be a good plan to eat a little meat regularly every week or two, as one's microbiome adapts to what one eats over a period of weeks, and it's possible (not guaranteed) that eating meat after a long hiatus can cause minor digestive distress as a consequence.

One more bit of unsolicted advice from an MFP granny type: Don't let boyfriends pull you off something you're truly committed to. It's important to know who you are, and live that out. While some people can be jerks, a guy who wants to redefine you is not someone who truly cares for you as a full person in your own right. (I was married to a hunter for 20+ of those 44 years of vegetarianism and we did fine. The idea of one of us "converting" literally never came up. No, we didn't divorce; I'm a widow.)

Best wishes!

kimny72

losingbaylee wrote: »

Hi! I am new to the community and also new to being a vegetarian. I have dabbled in it here and there while in college but boyfriends always pulled me off of it.

That being said, any grocery store suggestions for me? Anything would be appreciated! I'm thinking veggie burgers or any other finds other than the obvious fruits and veggies.

Also any meals that you like to make would be helpful as well! I have Pinterest but hearing actual opinions and suggestions are way more helpful.

I'm not vegetarian, but when I have meatless meals, they are often centered around tofu, lentils, beans, and whole grains. I will also go on Morning Star Burger kicks

DancingMoosie

For prepackaged vegetarian, I like morning star garden veggie burgers and spicy black bean burgers, Amy's black bean chili(even hubby likes it) and most of their frozen meals. I roast veggies for my lunches or dinners, it gives everything so much flavor. You can do olive or coconut oil and salt/pepper or other seasoning, or marinate in different salad dressings. Lentils, nutritional yeast, cottage cheese, and eggs are good for protein. You can also put a bunch of veggies in a pot of water and make delicious soup. Potatoes and beans to bulk it up a little.

commoner03

Nutritional Yeast is your friend. Sprinkle it in your cooking for a little protein and energy boost. It adds a savory taste, some compare it to cheese or nuts.

Also, you get surprising amounts of protein from your green veggies like broccoli and Brussels Sprouts.

Ultimately though you’ll need to eat beans in some form. I find things like tempeh and hummus to be easiest on the gasses, and don’t forget to soak and drain your beans.

jmgr9993

Our family just had the best soup tonight it was veggie broth with organic crushed tomatoes, onions, portabella mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, kale, cannelloni beans, garlic, basil, black pepper, and Farro (which is similar to rice) it simmered all day in the crockpot. Then topped with Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast right before eating it. No measurements just threw whatever I had in the pot. My daughter loved it so much she had two bowls. This is great for anyone looking for a quick and filling dinner idea. We even have some leftover for lunch tomorrow 😊 We are from the North so it was nice to have on a super chilly night.

kshama2001

163 vegetarian recipes featuring beans and legumes: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/search/ ?f[0]=field_special_diet:25&f[1]=field_recipe_main_ingredient:789

Also, your library system probably has lots of vegetarian cookbooks.